The importance of floatation

[RIPFENCE]

HI ALL,
HAD A DISASTEROUS DAY AT THE LAKE..I WAS TRYING OUT A NEW PROP AND FLIPPED MY DF29 AT LOW SPEED OVER BIG WAVES. MY HATCH TAPE WAS WET FROM A PREVIOUS RUN AND IT CAME OFF THE DF SANK TO THE BOTTOM IN 6.5 FEET OF 45 DEGREE WATER. I LOOKED REAL STUPID WITH MY RUBBER RAFT TRYING TO RECOVER MY BOAT OFF THE BOTTOM. TOOK 30 MINUTES..MY GPS STILL WORKS AND I AM DRYING OUT THE REST..FUNNY THING WAS I COULD STILL HEAR MY SERVO ADJUSTING AS I POURED THE WATER OUT OF THE HULL..I WILL NEVER HAVE A BOAT WITHOUT FLOTATION AGAIN..@#$%!^^^%#$%#

[Fluid]

Don't feel too bad - lots of folks have made the same mistake. Not only do you need some floatation, you need enough floatation. A good rule of thimb is to have 29 cubic inches of floatation for every pound of boat, minimum.





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[RIPFENCE]

thanks for the good info..just another example of learning the hard way..i hope my neu 1515 is going to make it..as well as my lipo

[ozzie-crawl]

and always add some to the hatch as well

[jcald2000]

Spray the Nue inside with WD-40 ASAP[the magnet will rust!] and reoil the bearings. Works for me!

[RIPFENCE]

Awesome info..wd40 here i go...thanks a lot

[JimClark]

better off using corrsion X I would think.
Jim

[RIPFENCE]

funny you said that..i ordered some corrosion x yesterday and it will be a week before i get it though thank you

[BILL OXIDEAN]

Don't feel too bad - lots of folks have made the same mistake. Not only do you need some floatation, you need enough floatation. A good rule of thimb is to have 29 cubic inches of floatation for every pound of boat, minimum.





.

Wow! I was only coming on this thread to stress that very point, flotation can be your worst enemy if not done right. If you use too little flotation a number of dizasterous things can happen.

The worst scenario I've experienced is a boat that neither sinks or floats, but suspends itself mid depth and slowly drifts out to never never land as it could be ANYWHERE in the pond.

You have to make certain that you use more than enough to make her float, or you're better off running hollow as I do.

I like boats that sink fast if they're gonna do it, but that's only because my test pond is only 5ft at its deepest, and i've been trained in marking/sighting exactly where it went down. I also have a brand new wetsuit, so wading in cold water isn't a HUGE issue

Moral of the story, make certain you use enough

[RIPFENCE]

point well taken bill..i suppose there is. nothing worse tha a boat in limbo. i do enjoy letting my boats rip out in the middle of my test pond sometimes so i guess i should fill it with foam or pay the price..

[Efis]

but suspends itself mid depth

Wow.

Blake

[bwells]

Ripfence: I have noticed , as well, that the hockey tape looses it's stickiness after a short time of getting splashed. I was thinking of packing tape but have not tried it yet, not sure what it would do to decals. Any thoughts on expanding foam that will not distort the hull? I think I remember someone saying Great stuff but not sure.

[crabstick]

I lost a boat that split open and dumped its flotation for two years, a guy found it when looking for his hatch..

Since then I test the flotation of every boat I build, normally by trying to sink the boat in the bath (with dummy cells and motor etc) For reviving wet electronics try this, it sounds crazy, but I have revived quite a bit of wet gear using this method.

firstly disconnect any power sources at the earliest possible opportunity, remove any plastic casing from wet object, boil jug, pour boiling water into bowl, drop item in bowl for 5-10 sec. Remove from bowl, dry with hair drier, spray with either wd40 or corrosion X, leave in hot water cupboard or another warm place for about 24 hours, Test device.

Twas only a couple of months ago I kicked some saltwater into my futaba t6ex 2.4ghz, it started going nuts and the lcd was showing crazy stuff and I thought I was in for a new radio until i remembered the above method, 24 hours later it was running smooth again.. my wife was happy too

[RIPFENCE]

now that is thourough testing! as far as hockey goes i feel it works well as long as you do not try to use it for more than one run..they tape i am using is the stuff sold by ose..not like the fabric style..expanding foam may work as long as its marine grade..it does not look to good though..maybe i can make a chamber for the front to contain the foam..then there is always the water noodle cut into smaller noodles

[exotica]

...good advice, ive used new noodle in mine. Now that Fluid has shared the magic numbers I might just recalculate how much ive used. I know my cat aint going to sink, even if it does fill up with water.